Lachenburg
02-08-2006, 00:28
The Kingdom of Prussia
Königreich von Preußen
http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/polcrt/images/Prussiacoa.jpg
National Anthem:
Heil dir im Siegerkranz
Heil dir im Siegerkranz,
Herrscher des Vaterlands!
Heil, Kaiser, dir!
Fühl in des Thrones Glanz
Die hohe Wonne ganz,
Liebling des Volks zu sein!
Heil Kaiser, dir!
(1790)
Historical Backround:
A Series of Excerpts from Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia
In 1701 Frederick William's son, Elector Frederick III, proclaimed himself King Frederick I of Prussia, and all links to the Kingdom of Poland were removed. Because he did not wish to offend Emperor Leopold I, Frederick was only allowed to title himself "King in Prussia", not "King of Prussia". The first Prussian king was also the last Prussian ruler to speak fluent Polish, while his successors spoke fluent French and their native German.
Prussia grew in splendor during the reign of Frederick I, who sponsored the arts at the expense of the treasury. He was succeeded by his son, Frederick William I the austere "Soldier King", who did not care for the arts but was thrifty and practical. He is considered the creator of the vaunted Prussian bureaucracy and the standing army, which he developed into one of the most powerful in Europe, although his troops only briefly saw action during the Great Northern War. In view of the size of the army in relation to the total population Voltaire said later: "Prussia is not a country with an Army but an Army with a country!"
In addition, Frederick William settled more than 20,000 Protestant refugees from Salzburg in thinly populated eastern Prussia and other regions. From Sweden he acquired Western Pomerania as far as the Peene in 1720.
His son Frederick II, later nicknamed "Frederick the Great", succeeded Frederick William in 1740. As Crown Prince he was attached to philosophy and the arts; nevertheless, in the first year of his reign he ordered the Prussian army to march into Silesia, on which the Hohenzollerns laid disputed claims. In the three Silesian Wars he succeeded in holding this conquest against Austria. In the last of the three conflicts, the famed Seven Years' War, he held it against a coalition of Austria, France, and Russia, using his army's superior disipline and mobility, along with a system of "interior lines" to hold his enemies at bay.
This was the beginning of Prussia's position as a great power in Europe, and of tension between Prussia and Austria as the two most powerful states in the Holy Roman Empire. In 1744 the County of East Frisia fell to Prussia following the extinction of its ruling Cirksene dynasty.
In the last 23 years of his rule until 1786, Frederick II, who understood himself as the "first servant of the state", promoted the development and further settling of Prussian areas, such as the Oderbruch. At the same time as he built up Prussia's military power and participated in the First Partition of Poland with Austria and Russia in 1772 which connected Brandenburg with eastern Prussia, he also opened Prussia's borders to immigrants fleeing from religious persecution in other parts of Europe, such as the Huguenots of France. In truth, Prussia became a safe haven in much the same way that the United States welcomed immigrants seeking freedom in the 19th century, although the absolutist tendancies of Prussia's later Kings eventually slowed such immigration.
During the reign of King Frederick William II, Prussia annexed additional Polish territory through its participation in both the Second and Third Partitions of Poland, nearly doubling its population and landmass by 1793.
Upon the outbreak of the French Revolution, the Prussians took a lead role in the First Coalition against France. In 1792, with the support of Great Britain, the Duke of Brunswick lead the Prussian Army to the frontiers of the French Republic with the intent to crush the Republican government in Paris. However, several costly defeats forced the Prussians to accept the Peace of Basel in 1795, abandoning its western territories to the French Republic. Since then, Prussia has remained neutral in the continuing struggle, intent on consolidating its gains in Poland.
Population Statistics:
Population (1815): 9.7 million
Official Language: Deutsch (German)
Predominant Religion: Protestant and Calvinist sects
Other religions: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox, Judiasm.
Predominant Ethnic Groups: German, Polish, Bohemian
Political Organization:
Country Name:
Official Title: Königreich von Preußen
Conventional/Legal: Preußen (Prussia)
Government Type: Absolute Monarchy
Capital: Berlin
Constitution: N/A
Legislature: Landtag [Unicameral Body consisting of the Landed Aristocracy (Junkers) ]
Head of State: King Friedrich Wilhelm III von Hohenzollern (http://www.kmkcecilia1837.nl/1837/images/FriedrichWilhelmIII.jpg)
Head of Government: Ministerpräsident Christian August Heinrich Kurt
Foriegn Minister: Graf Christian August Heinrich Kurt
National Flag:
http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/images/d/de_pr786.gif
State Ensign:
http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/images/d/de_pr-gv.gif
Administrative Divisions (http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/2515/prussia1800aq8.png)
Provinces (Provinzen):
- Brandenburg
- Silesia
- Pomerania
- Neues Ostpreußen
- Westpreußen
- Südpreußen
- Netze Bezirk
- Ansbach
- Mansfeld
- Kleve
- Bayreuth
Economics:
Currency: Thaler
Exchange Rate: TH1 = 1/14 of a Cologne mark of silver
Economic Strength: Strong
Primary Economic Centres:
- Berlin
- Breslau
- Danzig
- Königsberg
Military Information:
The Prussian Army:
http://www.wargame.ch/wc/nwc/newsletter/November2001/Newsletter16/Images/tn_1815.jpg
Backround:
[Awaiting Further Information]
Rank System:
[Awaiting Further Information]
General Staff:
Commander-In-Chief: King Frederick William III
Commander of the Infantry: General Richard-Joachim-Heinrich von Mollendorf
Commander of the Cavalry:
Commander of the Artillery:
Current Size:
Peacetime: 100,000 soldiers
Wartime: 200,000 soldiers
Landstrum: 600,000 soldiers
Organization:
Infantry: 133,157 soldiers
- 116 Line Infantry Battalions
- 27 Grenadier Battalions
- 24 Fusilier Battalions
- 3 Jager Battalions
Cavalry: 39,673 soldiers
- 65 Curissier Squadrons
- 80 Dragoon Squadrons
- 95 Hussar Squadrons
- 15 Towarczy Squadrons
Artillery: 10,165 soldiers
- 4 Foot Artillery Regiments (12-36pdr.)
- 1 Horse Artillery Regiment (6-20pdr.)
- 2 Mortar Batteries (10pdr.)
- 8 Foot Artillery Batteries (6pdr.)
- 4 Howizter Batteries (7pdr.)
- 1 Light Mortar Battery
[More to Come]
Königreich von Preußen
http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/polcrt/images/Prussiacoa.jpg
National Anthem:
Heil dir im Siegerkranz
Heil dir im Siegerkranz,
Herrscher des Vaterlands!
Heil, Kaiser, dir!
Fühl in des Thrones Glanz
Die hohe Wonne ganz,
Liebling des Volks zu sein!
Heil Kaiser, dir!
(1790)
Historical Backround:
A Series of Excerpts from Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia
In 1701 Frederick William's son, Elector Frederick III, proclaimed himself King Frederick I of Prussia, and all links to the Kingdom of Poland were removed. Because he did not wish to offend Emperor Leopold I, Frederick was only allowed to title himself "King in Prussia", not "King of Prussia". The first Prussian king was also the last Prussian ruler to speak fluent Polish, while his successors spoke fluent French and their native German.
Prussia grew in splendor during the reign of Frederick I, who sponsored the arts at the expense of the treasury. He was succeeded by his son, Frederick William I the austere "Soldier King", who did not care for the arts but was thrifty and practical. He is considered the creator of the vaunted Prussian bureaucracy and the standing army, which he developed into one of the most powerful in Europe, although his troops only briefly saw action during the Great Northern War. In view of the size of the army in relation to the total population Voltaire said later: "Prussia is not a country with an Army but an Army with a country!"
In addition, Frederick William settled more than 20,000 Protestant refugees from Salzburg in thinly populated eastern Prussia and other regions. From Sweden he acquired Western Pomerania as far as the Peene in 1720.
His son Frederick II, later nicknamed "Frederick the Great", succeeded Frederick William in 1740. As Crown Prince he was attached to philosophy and the arts; nevertheless, in the first year of his reign he ordered the Prussian army to march into Silesia, on which the Hohenzollerns laid disputed claims. In the three Silesian Wars he succeeded in holding this conquest against Austria. In the last of the three conflicts, the famed Seven Years' War, he held it against a coalition of Austria, France, and Russia, using his army's superior disipline and mobility, along with a system of "interior lines" to hold his enemies at bay.
This was the beginning of Prussia's position as a great power in Europe, and of tension between Prussia and Austria as the two most powerful states in the Holy Roman Empire. In 1744 the County of East Frisia fell to Prussia following the extinction of its ruling Cirksene dynasty.
In the last 23 years of his rule until 1786, Frederick II, who understood himself as the "first servant of the state", promoted the development and further settling of Prussian areas, such as the Oderbruch. At the same time as he built up Prussia's military power and participated in the First Partition of Poland with Austria and Russia in 1772 which connected Brandenburg with eastern Prussia, he also opened Prussia's borders to immigrants fleeing from religious persecution in other parts of Europe, such as the Huguenots of France. In truth, Prussia became a safe haven in much the same way that the United States welcomed immigrants seeking freedom in the 19th century, although the absolutist tendancies of Prussia's later Kings eventually slowed such immigration.
During the reign of King Frederick William II, Prussia annexed additional Polish territory through its participation in both the Second and Third Partitions of Poland, nearly doubling its population and landmass by 1793.
Upon the outbreak of the French Revolution, the Prussians took a lead role in the First Coalition against France. In 1792, with the support of Great Britain, the Duke of Brunswick lead the Prussian Army to the frontiers of the French Republic with the intent to crush the Republican government in Paris. However, several costly defeats forced the Prussians to accept the Peace of Basel in 1795, abandoning its western territories to the French Republic. Since then, Prussia has remained neutral in the continuing struggle, intent on consolidating its gains in Poland.
Population Statistics:
Population (1815): 9.7 million
Official Language: Deutsch (German)
Predominant Religion: Protestant and Calvinist sects
Other religions: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox, Judiasm.
Predominant Ethnic Groups: German, Polish, Bohemian
Political Organization:
Country Name:
Official Title: Königreich von Preußen
Conventional/Legal: Preußen (Prussia)
Government Type: Absolute Monarchy
Capital: Berlin
Constitution: N/A
Legislature: Landtag [Unicameral Body consisting of the Landed Aristocracy (Junkers) ]
Head of State: King Friedrich Wilhelm III von Hohenzollern (http://www.kmkcecilia1837.nl/1837/images/FriedrichWilhelmIII.jpg)
Head of Government: Ministerpräsident Christian August Heinrich Kurt
Foriegn Minister: Graf Christian August Heinrich Kurt
National Flag:
http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/images/d/de_pr786.gif
State Ensign:
http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/images/d/de_pr-gv.gif
Administrative Divisions (http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/2515/prussia1800aq8.png)
Provinces (Provinzen):
- Brandenburg
- Silesia
- Pomerania
- Neues Ostpreußen
- Westpreußen
- Südpreußen
- Netze Bezirk
- Ansbach
- Mansfeld
- Kleve
- Bayreuth
Economics:
Currency: Thaler
Exchange Rate: TH1 = 1/14 of a Cologne mark of silver
Economic Strength: Strong
Primary Economic Centres:
- Berlin
- Breslau
- Danzig
- Königsberg
Military Information:
The Prussian Army:
http://www.wargame.ch/wc/nwc/newsletter/November2001/Newsletter16/Images/tn_1815.jpg
Backround:
[Awaiting Further Information]
Rank System:
[Awaiting Further Information]
General Staff:
Commander-In-Chief: King Frederick William III
Commander of the Infantry: General Richard-Joachim-Heinrich von Mollendorf
Commander of the Cavalry:
Commander of the Artillery:
Current Size:
Peacetime: 100,000 soldiers
Wartime: 200,000 soldiers
Landstrum: 600,000 soldiers
Organization:
Infantry: 133,157 soldiers
- 116 Line Infantry Battalions
- 27 Grenadier Battalions
- 24 Fusilier Battalions
- 3 Jager Battalions
Cavalry: 39,673 soldiers
- 65 Curissier Squadrons
- 80 Dragoon Squadrons
- 95 Hussar Squadrons
- 15 Towarczy Squadrons
Artillery: 10,165 soldiers
- 4 Foot Artillery Regiments (12-36pdr.)
- 1 Horse Artillery Regiment (6-20pdr.)
- 2 Mortar Batteries (10pdr.)
- 8 Foot Artillery Batteries (6pdr.)
- 4 Howizter Batteries (7pdr.)
- 1 Light Mortar Battery
[More to Come]